If you answer yes to any, some or all of these the next bit is worth reading.

Increasing productivity, managing stress and improving employee wellbeing are high on organisational agendas. You don’t need a PHD to know that a restless night will have a negative impact on your ability to perform, or that long term reliance of stimulants isn’t great for your health. So…. how can you support your people to improve their sleep/wake cycles?

Firstly you need to know the importance of Hormones. Melatonin enables you to get to sleep and Cortisol wakes you up. We obviously need both, but in the right balance and at the right time. If you produce too much Cortisol leading up to bedtime it’s likely you’ll have a lower quality sleep. If you don’t have enough through the day you’ll feel tired and be less productive.

Cortisol is also known as the “Stress Hormone”. Three of the main contributors to the production of cortisol are stress, light exposure and caffeine. Of which all three are present in abundance within the workplace. It’s essential to long term health, wellbeing and performance that employees are able to switch off and improve their efficiency of their sleep/wake cycles.

So what strategise can Organisations put in place to support this?

Education – Running seminars, workshops and training on how to become healthier and improve general wellbeing.